Slug casting machine



R. R. MEAD Filed May 17, 1957 INVENTOR ff ff Mw Y ATTORNEYS SLUG CASTING MACHINE sgpt. 11, 1940.

vPatented sept. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES anis SLUG CASTING MACHINE Richard R. Mead, Queens Village, N. Yf, assigner to Mergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application May 17, 1937, Serial No. 143,002

4. Claims.

This invention relates to slug casting machines, such as Linotype machines of the general organization represented in U. S. Letters Patent No. 436,532, to O. Mergenthaler, wherein a composed line of matrices is presented to the face of a slotted mold between a pair of vise jaws, the mold filled with molten metal'to form a slug against the matrices which produce the type characters thereon, and the slug thereafter ejected from the mold between a pair of trimming knives Whichtrirn the lateral faces of the slug prior to the depositing of the later in the galley.

More particularly, the present improvements deal with devices'whereby ythe printing edges of the slugs beyond the type characters thereon may be cast at a predetermined level below the printing face of the type characters, in order that a zinc or other form, of printing platecontaining cuts or thelikeA (which must stand at the same type height as the characters on the slugs when assembled or made up in the printing forms) may be mountedl directly on the slugs, thereby avoiding ythe necessity of milling off or otherwise reducing the height of the blank portions on the slugs tobring them to the proper height for such purpose i In carrying out the invention, the vise jaws, which are arranged to be moved inwardlyA to close the mold slot at the opposite ends of a composed line, are equipped each with a rib adapted tol extend into the mold slot a distance sufcient for the accommodation of the zinc or cut toi be used. In the specific embodiment illustrated, the mold slot near the front, is formed in its upper side wall with a face flaring outwardly and upwardly, and the ribs which are adapted to enter the mold slot are formed on their upper edges with correspondingly sloped surfaces, so that when the mold is moved forwardly into Contact with the composed line, the ribs will enter the mold slot freely and then be cammed or wedged downwardly by the engagement of the angularly disposed surfaces until the bottom edges of theribs, which are horizontal, are caused to engage tightlywith the lower side wall of the mold slot'. The ribs extend the full length of the vise jaws and project into the mold slot by an amount equal to the distancethat the depressed portion of the slug is intended to stand below the base of the type characters. v

Preferably, the mold entering ribs are carried by plates detachably secured in the vise jaws in much the same manner as described in my copending application,` Serial No. 81,394, nled May 23, 1936, in. order that they may be readily removed and replaced by other ribs capable of cooperating with molds of different sizes. The detachable plates have a loose or floating fit in the jaws, so that, as the mold is moved forwardly into :.5 contact with the line, the angularly disposedr surface of the mold, by its cooperation with the similarly disposed angular surfaces of the ribs of the floating sections, will aline the ribs accurately with the mold slot and bring about the metal 10 tight engagement required. Likewise, as described in my co-pending application, a metal tight engagement at the ends of the mold slot is secured by providing the intermediate liners which, as usual, space the body portion of the 1'5 mold from the cap, with narrow ribs at their inner edges adjacent the mold slot and which engageftightly against the outer faces of the ribs associated with the vise jaws.

The means hereindisclosed for bringing about .20 t'he lateral movement of the ribs to effect their metal tight engagement with the mold are given merely by way of example, and other means for effecting the same result could be employed with equivalent efficacy, the essence of the invention 25 residing. in the employment of floating ribs with horizontal edges for sealing engagement with the adjacent side wall of the mold slot.

Referring tothe drawing:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view through 30 the mold and the vise jaws, showing the mold in engaging relation with the jaws;

, Fig. 2 is a vertical section through vthe mold disc at the end of the mold, and showing the latter in partial sectiony in engaging relation with 35 a line of lmatrices and the vise jaws;

Fig. 3 is an end View of the'mold, partly in section, and with the vise jaw in full section, the parts being illustrated immediately as the rib is starting to enter the mold slot during the for- 40 ward movement of the mold into contact with the jaws; and

Fig. 4 is` avertical sectional view through the mold and the vise jaw when the mold is in its extreme forward position with the rib fully en- 45 tered therein.

As usual, the composed line o-f matrices X is presented between a pair of vise jaws A and B and in front of a slotted mold C, which latter has previously been located in casting position by 50 a quarter rotation of a mold disc D on which the mold is mounted. When a slug is to be cast with a low quad or depressed portion for the accommodation of a zinc plate or cut, the line of matrices will, of course, be o-f less` than full length, 55

and accordingly, one or both of the jaws will be moved inwardly until arrested by contact with the ends of the line, depending upon whether the depressed portion of the slug is to be formed at one end or the other or at both ends of the slug. In other words, the improvements are particularly applicable to a machine equipped with a quadding and centering mechanism.

The improved mold comprises a lower body portion C1 and an upper cap portion C2, which portions present, respectively, opposed faces c Y and c1 defining the side walls of the mold slot, and a pair of intermediate liners C3, whose opposed faces define the end walls of the mold slot. Adjacent the front, the mold slot is formed with a face c2 flaring outwardly and upwardly and which terminates at its rear edge substantially on a line corresponding to the low quad or depressed blank portion of the slug. The liners C3 at the front terminate rearwardly of the mold face and also somewhat rearwardly of the line of intersection of the aring face c2 with the straight face c1; and moreover, the liners, adjacent their inner faces, are formed with forwardly projecting lips C4, the outer edges of which are relatively narrow and terminate at the aforesaid line of intersection. The purpose of the lip portions of the liners is to secure a metal tight engagement at the ends of the mold slot, as will be more evident as the description of the invention proceeds. In other respects, the mold is the same as usual, being equipped with a pair of grooves C5 and C6, the upper surfaces of which cooperate with the lower projecting ears on the casting edges of the matrices during the alinement of the latter with the mold slot.

After a line has been located at the casting level, the vise jaws, singly or conjointly, depending upon whether the machine is set for a quadding orv a centering operation, are moved inwardly until arrested by Contact with the ends of the line. In Fig. 1, there is illustrated a condition wherein the machine is set for quadding with the right hand jaw. Thereafter, the mold C moves forwardly and the matrices alined with the mold slot by the engagement of their lower ears with one or the other of the alining surfaces presented by the grooves C5 and C6, depending upon whether the matrices are composed at the upper or lower level. That part of the mold slot left uncovered by the composed line is closed by a rib E formed on a plate El with which each of the vise jaws is equipped.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 4, the ribs E are formed each with an upper face e disposed angularly with respect to the inner face of the jaw, a lower horizontal face e1, and a vertical rear face e2. As will be seen (see Fig. 3) the ribs E, in the normal position of the parts, are disposed slightly above the lower side wall c of the mold slot in order that there will be sufcient clearance be.- tween the surfaces of the ribs and mold slot for the ribs freely to enter the mold slot. This clearance, however, is not so great as to locate the upper edges of the rear vertical surfaces e2 of the ribs E above the outer upper edge of the flared mold slot, and hence therewill be no difficulty in effecting an entrance of the ribs E into the mold slot as the mold is moved forwardly into contact with the vcomposed line..

Ihe plates E1 on which the ribs E are located have a freev or floating fit with the vise jaws, so that, as the mold is moved forwardly into contact with the jaws, the angular surface c? onthe top wall of the mold slot will engage the angular surfaces e on the top edges of the ribs E and, since these surfaces are disposed at the same angle with respect to the face of the jaw, will cam the ribs downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4,

vThe mounting of the plates E1 on which theV ribs E are presented will now be described and, since they `are the same for both jaws, except for one being left and the other right, the description herein will be conned to one only.

Asvshown in the figures, the plate E1 extends the full length of the vise jaw and is contained within a recess B1 formed in the rear or casting face of the jaw, it being understood that during the casting operation, the rear face of the plate is substantially flush with' the rear face of the jaw. At the bottom of the recess B1, the jaw B is formed with a second longitudinal recess B2, which, in suitable spaced relation, presents relatively short dove-tail grooved portions B3. These dove-tail grooved portions are adapted to receive dove-tail tongue portions E2 formed on the inner or rear face of the plate El. According to this construction, the plate E1 may be attached to or detached from the jaw B by a slight endwise movement in opposite directions, the dove-tail tongue portions being adapted to enter the dovetail grooved portions by an endwise movement of the plate in a direction away from the line clamping face of the jaw, and being adapted to leave by a similar movement in the opposite direction. In this connection, it is pointed out that the dove-tail grooved portion B3, nearest the line clamping face of the jaw, is arranged at such a distance from said face that, when the plate E1 has been attached to the jaw in the manner just described, its inner or line engaging end will be flush with that face of the jaw, as shown in Fig. 1.

The positioning of the platev E1 within the recess B2 is determined by a stop pin B4 which is arranged kto engage the outer end of the dovetail tongue portion E2 located nearest the outer end of the jaw when the plate is attached to the jaw (see Fig. l). The plate is then locked in this position by ball detents B5 arranged at the base of the recess B2 and adapted to snap into holes or depressions E3 formed in the dove-tail tongue portions E2 of the plate. It will be understood that these ball detents, while exerting enough tension to hold the plate E1 in place, will yield readily when the plate is shifted end- .wise to detach it from the jaw and also when the plate is moved downwardly during the camming down action of the rib E in the mold slot. liquid tight seal of the rib in the mold slot. When the mold recedes from the jaw after a casting operation, the detents B5 will act to raiseV the plate E1, and consequently the rib E, to normal position, wherein the latter is again ready to enter theV mold slot during a succeeding casting operation. In effect, the plate E1 has a free or floating fit in the vise jaw, so that it may partake of what, in eifect, is a universal movement.

The invention, in its broadest aspects, contemplates a mold slot wherein one of the side walls extends uniformly out to the face of the mold, and wherein the other side wall is formed near the front with a portion of its surface offset, so as to permit a rib adapted to produce a low quad portion on the slug freely to enter the mold, and with the provision of means for displacing the rib laterally thereof in order to effect a metal tight seal between one surface of the rib and that side wall surface of the mold slot which extends uniformly out to the face of the mold.

In the accompanying drawing, the invention has been shown merely by way of example and in preferred form, and obviously many variations and modications may be made therein which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specic form or embodiment, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A slug casting machine including, in combination, a slotted mold having one of its side walls formed with a bevelled surface extending inwardly from the mold face throughout the length of the mold and having its other side Wall extended straight from the mold face, said mold also having an end wall whose front face is set back with reference to the mold face and extends parallel thereto, and a vise jaw adjustable to different positions longitudinally of the mold and provided with a freely mounted mold slot entering element having a casting face parallel to the front face of said end wall and adapted to make sealing contact therewith in any adjusted position of the jaw, said element throughout its length having a bevelled surface complementary to that on one of the side walls of the ,mold as well as another surface parallel with the other straight side wall of the mold, said complementally bevelled surfaces cooperating as the entering element moves into the mold slot to urge said element laterally thereof to effect a metal tight seal between the parallel surface of said element and the straight side wall of the mold.

2. A combination according to claim l, including means for returning the mold slot entering element to its normal position on the vise jaw subsequent to a casting operation.

3. A combination according to claim 1, wherein the vise jaw is provided with means for returning the mold slot entering element to its normal position thereonl subsequent to a casting operation.

4. A slug casting machine including, in combination, a slotted mold having one of its side walls formed with a bevelled surface extending inwardly from the mold face throughout the length of the mold and having its other side wall extended straight from the mold face, said mold also having an end wall whose front face is set back with reference to the mold face and extends parallel thereto, a vise jaw adjustable to different positions longitudinally of the mold and provided with a freely mounted mold slot entering element having a casting face parallel to the front face of said end wall and adapted to make sealing contact therewith in any adjusted position of the jaw, said element throughout its length having a bevelled surface complementary to that on one of the side walls of the mold as well as another surface parallel with the other straight side wall of the mold, said oomplementally bevelled surfaces cooperating as the entering elenient moves into the mold slotto urge said element laterally thereof to effect a metal tight seal between the parallel surface of said element and the straight side Wall of the mold, and means for returning the mold slot entering element to normal position subsequent to each casting operation.

RICHARD R. MEAD. 

